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(Virtual) Adult Autism Assessments

Dr. Tompkins has an interest in late-diagnosed, and the less obvious presentation of, autism. These assessments can often be completed entirely virtually, for adults who prefer. Child autism assessments require in-person appointments.

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Adult Autism Assessments typically consist of: 

  • A background interview and review of your assessment goals (1 hour)

  • Structured autism interview (2 hours)

  • Family interview (1 hour; not always required)

  • Questionnaire administration and scoring (2-3 hours; ideally completed by you and at least one person who knows you well)

  • Additional interviews (1+ hours) may be required if there are concerns related to ADHD and/or psychological functioning (e.g., anxiety, depression, trauma)

  • A feedback session to discuss your results (1 hour)

  • A written report with clinical formulation and recommendations (4-5 hours of writing time)

 

If you would like to be added to our waitlist, please click here to contact our office and provide your full name, date of birth, and the type of service you are seeking (e.g., virtual adult autism assessment).

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Autism criteria and some common examples of the less obvious presentation

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Part A: Difficulty with social communication and interactions - need to meet all 3 criteria

 

1. Difficulties with Social-Emotional Awareness and Reciprocity:

  • Preferring not to initiate social interactions

  • Experiencing frequent misinterpretations by and of others (e.g., over-explaining self to reduce misunderstandings)

  • It is effortful to keep up your end of a conversation, especially if you are not interested in the topic

  • Difficulty knowing how you are feeling and why

  • Discomfort with small talk

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2. Difficulties with Nonverbal Communication:

  • Discomfort with eye contact

  • Mental effort goes into making eye contact and facial expressions that match your intention

  • Others cannot generally tell how you are feeling based on your facial expressions and body language (e.g., you are often asked “what’s wrong?” when nothing is wrong)

  • Difficulty knowing how others feel based on their facial expressions or body language

  • Limited and/or awkward smiling in childhood photos

 

3. Difficulties Developing, Maintaining, and Understanding Social Relationships:

  • Having few friends, a small group of friends, and/or friends who have known you for a long time

  • Needing more alone time than most people

  • Needing time to recover after social interactions

  • Maintaining friendships/relationships is effortful

  • As a child, was more likely to organize or arrange toys than play with them (e.g., dressing and undressing or staging dolls, rather than having them interact with each other)

  • Did not request many playdates or sleepovers as a child

  • Felt like you did not fit in and were awkward in social interactions as a child

  • Unlikely to approach other kids at the playground

  • Overly trusting or naïve, cannot predict others intentions

 

Part B: Restricted interests and repetitive behaviour (RRBs) - need to meet 2 of the 4 criteria

 

1. Stereotyped or Repetitive Motor Movements, Use of Objects, or Speech:

  • Using whole body movements to soothe yourself currently or in childhood (e.g., pacing, rocking, spinning, jumping)

  • Fidgeting, skin picking, nail biting, etc.

  • Repeating words or phrases

  • Lining up toys or objects; sorting and organizing toys

 

2. Insistence on Sameness, Inflexible Adherence to Routines, or Ritualized Patterns of Verbal or Nonverbal Behaviour:

  • Feeling bothered by changes in plans or unexpected activities

  • Having routines (morning/bedtime routines, using the same parking spot, taking same route to school/work)

  • Difficulty seeing things from someone else’s perspective; stubborn

  • Rigid rule follower; bothered if others do not follow the rules

  • Strong sense of fairness and justice

  • Overly literal interpretations

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3. Highly Restricted, Fixated Interests that are Unusual in Intensity or Focus: 

  • Certain interests are all consuming/excessive

  • Enjoy collecting certain things (e.g., rocks, collectables, Lego)

  • Interests that seemed odd for your age as a child (e.g., interested in things that other kids the same age were not)

  • Learning “everything” about a certain subject (e.g., space, dinosaurs, war, autism, bird, plants, history)

  • Becoming interested in something and learning all about it, sometimes acquiring supplies related to the interest (e.g., gardening, plants) and then after a few months or longer, losing interest in that and moving onto something else

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4. Hyper- or Hypo-Reactivity to Sensory Input:​

  • Sensory Sensitivities – bright lights, loud noises, food textures, certain smells, clothing preferences

  • Sensory seeking behaviour – using weighted blankets, liking tight hugs, chewing on objects/clothing, holding or rubbing soft/other textured items

 

These difficulties have been present since childhood and interfere with your social, academic, and/or occupational functioning.

 

Here are some resources that may be of interest.

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This is a great book about the less obvious presentation of autism:

Is This Autism by Donna Henderson and Sarah Wayland (https://a.co/d/085DTqZJ)

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This is an online summary course by the same authors:

https://courses.isthisautism.com/course/recognizing-less-obvious-presentations-nonclinician-version

 

Here are some resources related to the less obvious presentation of autism (internalized/camouflaged/female phenotype) and how it is different from the stereotypical (external/non-camouflaged/male) presentation:

 

Information about masking in males:

 

Autism in teens:

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We would be pleased to discuss your specific needs and whether this type of assessment would be appropriate for you. Please click here to contact us.

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